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those all-venerable, all-honorable chains, that bound that apostolic and blessed body, that clasped his miracle-working hands, that were filled with divine grace from him, that gush forth miracles like a river, that release the sick from their diseases, that sanctify those who faithfully embrace them, that mystically cleanse the wrinkles of souls, that check the morbid fluxes of the flesh, that are stretched out with the airy height, reaching to the very heavens, and are extended as if from some anchor of the master's and divine throne. The ruler of the apostate [f. 169 r] powers shuddered at these, and even still now he fears and is greatly bound, he withdraws and shrinks away. The multitude of the airy spirits, fearing and trembling at these and struck by the miracle-working rays from them, has been driven far away; for it does not bear the overshadowing grace of the Spirit in them, nor does it endure the sparks of divine fire kindled in them, but being set on fire by them it is reduced to ashes and burned up.

38 The co-eternal and co-unoriginate Word of the Father forged these as a prize for his theological confession; and the most God-seeing coal that appeared to Isaiah fired them. And the Paraclete Spirit, by his in-breathing, perfected the fire to be blown from the coal for the work. For this reason, though they be of an iron substance, they are filled with divine grace and power. By these the evil spirits of the demons, being bound, are put to death and suffocated. By these the ruler of the world, being dragged along, is mocked as a captive by faithful men. By these, those who have been held fast in the snares of their failings are both loosed and set free, and those caught in the nets of death pass over to life. [f. 169 v] These, girding and fencing about the boundaries of God's inheritance, render them indestructible to the enemy. These, crowning the heads of those named for Christ, preserve them unharmed from the plotting of unseen foes. For even if they were made for the apostle as a form of punishment by those who wished him ill, yet it was shown to be for the turning away of those wishing to do evil, not so much punishing, as guarding and walling about that apostolic and precious body. The apostle was adorned by these. In these he rejoiced and took delight and wearing them like a royal ornament he exulted. He knew these to be causes of punishment and yet considered them procurers of crowns. These now the all-blameless and all-pure bride of God, the Church, wearing like pearly necklaces and golden-wrought adornments, and glorying as in a crown woven from incorruptible flowers, stands at the right hand of the spiritual Bridegroom.

39 These we also, the chosen people of Christ, embrace today. These we piously adore and revere, and we consider them a remolding of souls. Bringing near to these every sense and every limb [f. 170 r] we are filled with the sanctification from them, and we receive spiritually the grace of the Spirit into our souls. For it was necessary, it was necessary not only to exceedingly honor and revere the chains of the apostolic hands, but also to embrace and kiss the courts that came near to each one of his limbs, and for each of them to assemble a festival and a solemn assembly.

40 And again, it was fitting also for his providence concerning us and his loving relation, for whom he had toiled, for whom he contended and struggled daily, for whom he wore the weights of the chains, and gladly underwent death on the cross, to distribute and apportion himself to those who through him believed in Christ, and to grant to old Rome the deposit and burial of his all-venerable body, and to the reigning and new [Rome] the symbols of his passion and

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ἁλύσεις ἐκεῖναι αἱ πάνσεπτοι, αἱ πάντιμοι, αἱ τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ μακάριον συνδεσμήσασαι σῶμα, αἱ τὰς θαυματουργοὺς αὐτοῦ περισφίγξασαι χεῖρας, αἱ τῆς θείας χάριτος ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἐμπλησθεῖσαι, αἱ τὰ θαύματα ποταμηδὸν ἀναβλύζουσαι, αἱ τοὺς κάμνοντας τῶν νόσων ἀπολυτρούμεναι αἱ τοὺς πιστῶς προσπτυσσομένους καθαγιάζουσαι, αἱ τῶν ψυχῶν τὰς ῥυτίδας μυστικῶς ἐκκαθαίρουσαι, αἱ τῶν σαρκῶν τὰς νοσώδεις ἐπιρροίας ἀναστέλλουσαι, αἱ τῷ ἀερίῳ ὕψει συμπαρεκτεινόμεναι μέχρις αὐτῶν οὐρανῶν φθάνουσαι, καὶ ὡς ἀπό τινος ἀγκύρας τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ καὶ θείου θρόνου ἀποτεινόμεναι. Ταύτας ἔφριξε μὲν ὁ τῶν ἀποστατικῶν [φ. 169 ρο] δυνάμεων ἄρχων καὶ εἰς ἔτι καὶ νῦν δέδοικε καὶ συνδέει πολλῷ ὑποχωρεῖ καὶ συστέλλεται. Ταύτας καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀερίων πληθὺς δεδοικυῖα καὶ τρέμουσα ταῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν θαυματουργοῖς βολίσι βαλλομένη, μακρὰν ἀπελήλαται· οὐ γὰρ φέρει τὴν ἐν αὐταῖς ἐπισκιάζουσαν χάριν τοῦ Πνεύματος, οὐδ' ὑποστέγει τοὺς ἐν αὐταῖς τοῦ θείου πυρὸς ἀναπτομένους σπινθῆρας, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτῶν πυρπολουμένη κατατεφροῦται καὶ καταφλέγεται.

38 Ταύτας ἐχάλκευσε μὲν ὁ τοῦ Πατρὸς συναΐδιος καὶ συνάναρχος Λόγος εἰς ἆθλον τῆς ἐκείνου θεολόγου ὁμολογίας· ἐξεπύρωσε δὲ ὁ τῷ Ἡσαίᾳ προφανεὶς θεοπτικώτατος ἄνθραξ. Τὸ δὲ Παράκλητον Πνεῦμα τῇ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐμπνεύσει τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ἄνθρακος ἀναφυσῆσαι πῦρ πρὸς ἐργασίαν ἐναπετέλεσεν. ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο κἂν σιδηρᾶς οὐσίας τυγχάνωσι, θεϊκῆς πεπλήρωνται χάριτος καὶ δυνάμεως. Ὑπὸ τούτων τὰ τῶν δαιμονίων πονηρὰ δεσμούμενα πνεύματα θανατοῦται καὶ ἀποπνίγεται. Ὑπὸ τούτων ὁ τοῦ κόσμου ἄρχων συρόμενος, ὡς αἰχμάλωτος ὑπὸ πιστῶν ἀνδρῶν καταπαίζεται. Ὑπὸ τούτων οἱ τοῖς τῶν πταισμάτων βρόχοις γεγονότες κάτοχοι λέλυνταί τε καὶ ἠλευθέρωνται, καὶ οἱ τοῖς τοῦ θανάτου ἄρκυσι περιεσχημένοι πρὸς ζωὴν μεταβαίνουσιν. [φ. 169 ῃο] Αὗται τὰ τῆς Θεοῦ κληρονομίας ὅρια περιζωννῦσαι καὶ περιφράττουσαι, ἀνάλωτα τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀπεργάζονται. Αὗται τὰς τῶν χριστωνύμων στεφανοῦσαι κορυφὰς ἀπημάντους τῆς τῶν ἀοράτων συντηροῦσιν ἐπιβουλῆς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ παρὰ τῶν κακούντων εἰς κολαστηρίου εἶδος τῷ ἀποστόλῳ γεγόνασιν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἀποτροπὴν τῶν κακούργων βουλομένων ἐδείκνυτο, οὐ μᾶλλον κολάζουσαι, ἢ φρουροῦσαι καὶ περιτειχίζουσαι τὸ ἀποστολικὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ τίμιον σῶμα. Ταύταις ἐκαλλωπίζετο ὁ ἀπόστολος. Ταύταις ἐγάνυτο καὶ κατετέρπετο καὶ ὡς βασίλειον κόσμον περιφέρων ἠγάλλετο. Ταύτας καὶ κολάσεως αἰτίας ἐγίνωσκε καὶ στεφάνων προ ξένους ὑπελάμβανε. Ταύτας καὶ νῦν ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πανάμωμος καὶ πανακήρατος νύμφη Ἐκκλησία ὥσπερ τινὰς μαργαρώδεις ὁρμίσκους καὶ χρυσηλάτους κόσμους περικειμένη, καὶ οἷόν τινι στεφάνῳ ἐξ ἀκηράτων ἀνθέων διαπλακέντι σεμνυνομένη, ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ νοητοῦ Νυμφίου παρίσταται.

39 Ταύτας καὶ ἡμεῖς ὁ Χριστοῦ λαὸς περιούσιος κατασμαζόμεθα σήμερον. Ταύτας εὐλαβῶς προσκυνοῦμέν τε καὶ σεβόμεθα καὶ ὡς ψυχῶν ἀνάπλασιν λογιζόμεθα. Ταύταις πᾶσαν αἴσθησιν καὶ πᾶν μέλος προσπελάζοντες [φ. 170 ρο] τοῦ ἐκεῖθεν ἁγιασμοῦ ἐμπιπλάμεθα, καὶ νοητῶς τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος χάριν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς εἰσδεχόμεθα. Ἔδει γὰρ, ἔδει μὴ μόνον τῶν ἀποσπολικῶν χειρῶν τὰς ἁλύσεις ὑπερτιμᾶν καὶ γεραίρειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθ' ἓν τῶν αὐτοῦ μελῶν τὰ προσπελάσαντα δικαστήρια περιπτύσσεσθαί τε καὶ κατασπάζεσθαι καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον αὐτῶν ἑορτὴν συγκροτεῖν καὶ πανήγυριν.

40 Ἔπρεπε δ' αὖ πάλιν καὶ τῇ περὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ προνοίᾳ καὶ φιλανθρώπῳ σχέσει δι' οὓς κεκοπίακε, δι' οὓς καθ' ἑκάστην ἤθλει καὶ ἠγωνίζετο, δι' οὓς καὶ τὰς τῶν ἁλύσεων βαρύτητας περιέκειτο, καὶ τὸν διὰ σταυροῦ θάνατον ἡδέως καθυπεδέξατο, ἑαυτὸν τοῖς δι' αὐτοῦ πιστεύσασι τῷ Χριστῷ διανεῖμαι καὶ συμμετρήσασθαι, καὶ Ῥώμῃ μὲν τῇ παλαιᾷ τὴν τοῦ πανσέπτου σώματος δωρήσασθαι κατάθεσιν καὶ ταφὴν, τῇ δὲ βασιλευούσῃ καὶ νέᾳ τὰ τῶν παθῶν αὐτοῦ σύμβολά τε